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Cranberries and Pork

Cranberries and Pork yall! I feel like you can’t say that without a huge southern accent. This recipe was passed down from my Dad who got it from a family friend, Linda Bollag, and I changed it up a bit. The original recipe called for cooking a pork loin all day and then serving it sliced with the cranberry dressing on top. I was making this dish to take to an oyster roast so I needed it number 1. to be easy to eat standing up and number 2. to allow for a beer in the other hand. Solution: Pull that pork apart baby and make it pulled pork with cranberry dressing! It turned out really good and had sweet, fruity, and saltines all happening with three ingredients: cranberry sauce, 2 pound pork loin, and Lipton dry onion soup mix.

The hardest part of this simple recipe: Making the cranberry sauce

Ingredients:

1 large pear, peeled, diced

12 oz fresh whole cranberries

1 cup sugar

1 cup fresh orange juice

zest of 1 large orange

1/4 cup water

1 cinnamon stick

I had some minced ginger- so threw in about 2tsp

1/4 tsp salt

Mix all the ingredients in a large pot on the stove and bring to a boil.Then turn the heat down to medium and occasional stir for 12-15 minutes, making sure the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pot. (Note: Don’t be alarmed by the popping sounds, these are the cranberries popping open.) Once the time has passed and the cranberries have turned into a jelly type substance, remove from the heat and let the pot sit for about 20 minutes. Refrigerate immediately after. I cooked this part the day before so it could cool overnight.

The next day was Crockpotting day! Mary was in town and we had a full day ahead of us in Charleston. We started off at the Farmer’s Mark, had crepes for brunch, then I got volunteered to be jumped over in the street kids performance at Marion Square, dabbled in a little shopping, and then made it to the new Beir Garden for the Carolina game (which we dominated…OH and Callee…sorry about the spray). The best part…my pork was cooking the whole time! I didn’t even have to do much except for a few steps in the morning.

Rub the pork loin in a package of Lipton dry onion soup mix, place it in the crockpot, add some water as to not dry it out while cooking, and pour the cranberry mixture on top. I set the crockpot for 8 hours on low and was out the door.

The Oyster Roast was at Larry and Emily’s house. They are always great hosts and have the sweetest grassy side yard with adult furniture, a palm tree, and a fire place.The oyster table was set up in the middle along with corn hole boards. It’s nights like these that make me happy to live back in the South!

Side note: This cranberry sauce is also a good addition to a Thanksgiving turkey! Travel safely, have a great holiday, and GO GAMECOCKS!! Er ah er ah errrrrrrrr!